Legend of the Seven Stars
by nameless-phantom
Summary: What seems to be a normal adventure turns into a race to save the world from a mysterious new enemy. A novelization of Super Mario RPG.
1. Author's Notes & Prologue

_Author's Notes: This is nameless-phantom here, with probably the only author's notes I'll do in my stories! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this game gets enough love. (What I mean is that it's frequently overshadowed by the other games.) I know of at least one character that EVERYONE loves, but at best, that's all that most people remember about it. This probably won't be as updated as frequently, by try to enjoy it anyway! ^_^ So without further ado, the Legend of the Seven Stars! Also, if any of you have a DeviantArt account, check me out there, and check out Loopy-Lupe's Seven Stars Comics, if you love this game, you'll love them just as well!_

It was a day like any other day in the Mushroom Kingdom. The sun was brilliantly shining, birds were singing; another wonderful day. The perfect day for a romantic picnic. And that's just what Princess Peach Toadstool was aiming for. Humming a familiar tune, the carefree Princess strolled down the path. Toting her favorite pink parasol, Princess Peach reached her destination. She knocked on the door and waited. Inside was the Mushroom Kingdom's most famous plumber.

"Mario, are you there?"

Mario opened the door. "Princess!"

"Sorry that I'm early." Peach smiled brilliantly. "Are you ready for the picnic?"

"Oh, no, I'm not ready yet." Mario stammered. "With Luigi away, I've had do so much…"

"It's okay." Peach said, keeping her cheerful mien. "I'll just wait outside." Mario closed the door and started getting ready. She sat down in the meadow. She wandered around, humming, and admiring nearby butterflies. As she looked around, she saw the loveliest of flowers. She knew that Mario would think of her every time he saw them. As she stooped down to pick them, she thought that there couldn't be a more wonderful day. Suddenly, the sky turned a darker color. Perhaps to foreshadow a terrible event that could change the world for the worst? The Princess tensed, slightly frightened. As if out of nowhere, the Princess was snatched right off the ground! As she was spirited away, Peach let out a blood-curdling screech for help.

Mario walked outside as he saw the Princess scream for help. Mario ran after the figure barely visible in the cloud covering. He knew only one being that would do such a thing: his arch-nemesis, Bowser. Mario ran as fast as he could toward Bowser's keep.


	2. Chapter 1: The Princess Cliché

_Author's Notes: Remember when I said that I wouldn't have Author's Notes in my stories anymore? Well, I LIED! I just thought I'd bring up that there may be a few naming inconsistancies between this and the game, but I'm hoping that it won't detract from the enjoyment!_

After countless hours of running, Mario finally made it to Vista Hill, the outlook to Bowser's Keep. As Mario crossed the bridge to the keep, he mused at how much easier it was after every time he came. With a mighty kick, the doors to Bowser's keep flew open. The Koopa Troop inside was caught off guard.

"It's Mario! He's here already!"

"Already? We haven't even come up with a proper defense plan!"

"Engage Emergency Defense Protocol Gamma!"

"Go! Go! Go!"

"Move it, move it!"

The Koopas surrounded Mario. "Step aside! I'm-a saving the Princess!" he said forcefully.

"That's a negative! We have strict orders from Lord Bowser to keep Mario out as long for as long as we can!

_Even Bowser knows that I'll get past them!_ Mario thought to himself. Before the Koopas could attack, Mario jumped on the front, and then grabbed another Koopa and threw it behind him, knocking the Koopas down like bowling pins.

"Don't let him get past!"

Another battalion of Koopas blocked his path. Mario kicked the first one out of the way, and then punched the next one out of the way. As the Koopas rushed him, he jumped out of the way and then the mob piled into each other.

"Retreat, Koopa Troop! Retreat! We have already failed Lord Bowser!" The Koopas started scattering

Mario ran through the remaining ranks of Koopas like a hurricane, and he busted down the doors into the next room. The hall featured a long bridge of lava. Mario dashed across, dodging the fireballs darting across the bridge. As he made it to the other side, the bridge collapsed into the lava below.

_I'll never understand why he keeps a lake of lava in his own home. _He said to himself, unsurprised at the bridge falling. Mario took a deep breath as he opened the giant double door.

Inside was the mandatory giant statue of Bowser, and two gigantic chandeliers on the roof. Mario slowly walked in, expecting a surprise. Mario never liked getting surprised in any of Bowser's assortment of castles. This one was no different. As Mario walked to the center of the room, he noticed that there was something hanging between the chandeliers. It was squirming violently, frilly, and pink. It was none other than Princess Peach!

"Gwahahaha!" Mario recognized that sound as well. It was none other than Bowser, King of the Koopas, leader of the Koopa Troop, and bane of the Mushroom Kingdom! Amd he was standing atop one of the chandeliers! Mario leapt atop the statue of Bowser, then jumped between pillars and grabbed the bottom of Bowser's chandelier and swung to the other chandelier.

"Mario!" Peach yelled in adoration.

"Mario!" Bowser yelled in hatred.

"Princess! Let her go!" Mario yelled back.

"Gwahahaha! Did you really think I was going to just GIVE her to you? Now prepare yourself for the great beyond!" Bowser swung his chandelier at Mario's and they collided. Mario struggled to keep his balance along the violently swaying chandelier.

"Mario! Don't let Bowser bruise you!"

Mario made a signal that he was okay, and then he swung the chandelier at Bowser, and kicked him in the chest.

"Oof! Nice try Mario, but it's going to take a lot more than that to knock me out this time!"

Mario stabilized the chandelier and look at him in disbelief. "The chain, Mario! Aim for the chain!" Peach yelled.

Mario swung the chandelier again, but this time, he jumped off the chandelier and jumped on the chomp holding the chandelier up.

The chomp struggled. Bowser became frantic. "N-no! It's a chain reaction! Hold on, Klinklink!"

_He names his chomps? _Mario thought in disbelief as he jumped back to the other chandelier. Bowser's chandelier started falling down, but not before Bowser threw a hammer at Mario's chain. Mario stumbled across the chandelier, but he was okay.

"Tsk. Get down here!" Bowser threw another hammer, and this time, Mario came down with Bowser. "This is it, Mario. You're ALWAYS getting in my way, and now, it's time to finish it!" Bowser leapt from his chandelier, with his claws outstretched. Mario, as if in slow-motion, expertly timed his jump, and used Bowser's head as a springboard to propel him up toward the chains. "GWAAAAAAAaaaaah!" Bowser fell to the ground with a shattering crash.

Mario grabbed onto the chain and slowly climbed up. "Oh, Mario!" Peach said, infatuated. "You had me so worried!"

"No problem, Princess!" Mario swung back and forth until he grabbed the rope holding Peach up. "Now, let's get you down."

Suddenly, there was a deafening rumble, followed by a horrible cracking sound. "Mario?" The rumbling caused Mario to let go of Peach's rope and the two were swinging out of control. Peach shrieked in terror. "I'm going to fall! Help!" There was a faint sound of something humongous falling from the heavens, then an unbelievable crash! The next thing Mario knew, he was sailing through the air. But this wasn't flying, he was falling! Mario flailed his arms and legs as he sailed through the air.


	3. Chapter 2: Enter Smithy Gang

Mario was so high that he could see the entire Mushroom Kingdom from where he was, but now Mario was falling back toward his house. He crashed into the pipe on the roof and fell through the house. A Toad opened the door, and said to Mario, "Hey, Mario. Most people use a door to enter their houses! Anyways, I'm here to pick up Princess Toadstool since she's running late." He then left the house.

Mario picked himself up among the debris and went outside. He'll tidy up later. The toad was looking around, and said, "Where's the princess? I thought she was with you?" Mario tried to avoid eye contact. "Mario, what's with the silent treatment?" Toad groaned. "It's the princess, isn't it? Mario, could you save her like you always do?"

"Sure." Mario grumbled. "As if I don't have enough to do around here…"

* * *

><p>Mario arrived at the familiar outlook to Bowser's Keep, but this time, a giant sword was impaled through the roof. "Cute trick, Bowser, but it's not gonna stop me from saving the princess!" Mario crossed the bridge to the keep again ready to barge in like last time when he was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.<p>

"Halt! Who goes there?" Mario looked around, but couldn't locate the source of the voice. "An intruder!" Mario looked up, and saw that the sword was doing the talking.

"What? A talking sword?" Mario said astonished.

"This castle belongs to us, the Smithy Gang!"

"Who?"

Ignoring him, the sword continued, "It's our first step toward taking over this world!"

"Tough luck, buddy. I don't know if Bowser put you up to this, but I'm saving the Princess!"

The sword laughed. "Funny, we'd practically OWN this world if it weren't for nosy characters like you! So let's see you deal with this!" The sword was causing an earthquake that was causing the bridge to crumble. Mario started running, but the bridge was crumbling faster. As pieces of the bridge were falling, Mario jumped on top of the falling pieced until he jumped to the top of the hill on the other side. Seeing that the bridge was out, and there was no way to get across, Mario said to himself, "Today's not my day, is it?" he said as went back home.

* * *

><p>Mario went back to his house to see that the debris was being cleaned up by Toad. "Oh, Mario, you're back already? Did you forget anything?" Mario told him what happened at Vista Hill. "So, the bridge is out? Just wonderful… Don't just stand there, we have to inform the Chancellor at once! Let's go!"<p>

Mario walked out the door and started down Mushroom Way, as Toad came running back and hit Mario square in the face. "Oops, excuse me. Ooh, that was a nasty bump you got there. Here, one of Mushroom Kingdom's famous items will perk you up!" Toad handed Mario a mushroom.

"Thanks." Mario started nibbling on the mushroom. The day was looking up already.

"Umm… now why did I come rushing back? I had something to tell you…"

"Hey, mushroom-head! I'm not done with you!" A Goomba came out of the bushes.

"Ack! Now I remember! Mushroom Way is swarming with monsters! Probably because of the earthquake at the castle!" Toad hid behind Mario. "Mario, please do something? Do you know about timed hits?"

Mario scoffed. "Yeah, I know about timed hits."

Toad yelled back, "You hear that? He knows about timed hits! He's gonna punch your lights out!"

"Uh, no worries, my red brotha'. We cool here. Right bro? Yeah?" The goomba ran off.

"Heh, he's got more bark than bite, huh? Now, why else did I run back?"

"Um, the Chancellor?" Mario reminded him.

"That's right! We've got to tell the Chancellor about the Princess! Let's go!" Mario ran after him. Toad was right. Mushroom Way was filled with Goombas and Sky Troopas. Mario dodged some of them when he saw a gang of Goombas pestering Toad.

"Ha ha! Where's yo' red friend now?"

"We got ya this time!" Mario jumped on one of them which shocked the other two. "'Ey! The red dude's here!"

"Come on, we can take 'im!" Mario kicked the first one away and then jumped on the other one.

"Gee, thanks Mario! Come on, let's go!" Toad ran ahead.

Mario called out, "Wait for me!" Mario dodged more enemies as he ran after Toad.

"Hey, you!" Mario looked up to see a Lakitu. "What are you doing here?"

"Just passing through, you didn't happen to see a Toad run past?"

"Oh, he was running down the Hammer Bros.' path."

Mario cringed. "Well, thanks for the help."

"Yeah, no problem. I just got separated from the Koopa Troop, so without Lord Bowser's orders, I'm at a loss as for what to do." The Lakitu floated away throwing Spiny eggs as he left. Mario wisely started down the Hammer Bros.' pathway. He hadn't gone far when he heard, "Hey, you!"

Mario looked to see a pair of Hammer Bros. with one holding onto Toad. "You lookin' at us?"

"My hammer and I don't like you!"

Toad yelled, "Be careful! They've defiantly got a mean streak!"

Mario tried to be reasonable and asked, "Come on, he wasn't doing anything wrong, so just let him go and we'll go on our way."

The second Hammer Bro. yelled, "Now ya got mah hammer angry! You shouldn't 'ave done that!"

"This is our path and we don't like trespassers! Let's show them what exactly we do to trespassers!" They then started throwing enough hammers to blot out the sun. Mario shielded himself from the rain of hammers and then he jumped as high as he could and dropped on top of the Hammer Bro.'s head. The first guy fell as the other one started battering Mario with his hammer. When Mario got an opening he punched him in the chest. Both Hammer Bros. retreated into the forest."

"Phew, I saw my life flashing before my eyes!" Toad said. "Hey, look at this!" Toad pointed out a hammer with another hammer and a helmet engraved on it. "They must've dropped it when they ran away! You should take it! No one will stand a chance when you whomp 'em with this! It has the Hammer Bros. insignia on it. Do you think they'll go looking for it?"

"Na." Mario replied. "They've got plenty, I doubt they'll miss this one." Mario swung it around. "It might come in handy!"

"Oh, okay. Well, Mushroom Kingdom is just ahead! We're almost there!" Toad went running ahead as Mario followed close behind.


	4. Chapter 3: Rain Check

Mario ran through the gates to Peach's Castle to tell the message. "Alright, I'll open the gates for you. We've got to tell the Chancellor!" Toad ran inside as Mario followed quickly after him. Inside the throne room, the Chancellor was standing in front of the empty throne and was surprised to see Mario.

"Oh, there you are, Mario! Where's Princess Toadstool? She left for your house hours ago? And can you explain that earthquake? It knocked the spores out of me!"

"Well, you see, I left Peach in the meadow and…"

"Wait, you left our Princess Toadstool alone? And in the open? What were you thinking?" Mario had a sheepish look on his face. "And let me guess, Bowser came and swooped off with her…"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Oh, how completely unsurprising! As usual, your duty is to go to Bowser's Keep and rescue her!"

"Well, I already did, but… well, you see, this giant sword came from out of the sky and knocked me out of the castle! I tried going back, but then the sword broke the bridge! I barely got away in time!"

"Egads, so now the keep is unassailable? What evil power is at work here? Whatever shall we do now?" He turned back to Mario. "Mario, the life of our Princess is in your hands. Please, save our dear Princess!"

"But, no pressure." A Toad said as Mario walked out the door. As Mario started going, the chancellor called for him. "Mario!" Mario tripped and fell. "I almost forgot! This may not help you, but take this map."

"Thanks, now I'm off." Mario started down the stairs, when the Chancellor called again. "Mario!" Mario tripped again, but then he tumbled down the steps and hit his head against the door.

"Sorry, I just can't stop worrying about the Princess… go to the cellar. I'll tell the guard to let you through."

Mario adjusted his hat and said, "Thank you." He exited the throne room and walked to the cellar.

"Oh, hello Mario! Don't worry; I've already got the message." He unlocked the door to the cell and directed him to certain items. First, you're going to need some money in case you're in a bind. Here's some coins. And take these with you." The guard tossed Mario a bottle of drinkable honey syrup. "Oh, and take this too, it's a guide to mushrooms! I know you're a master of mushrooms, but even the best forget sometimes!"

"Thank you, I should be ready to go now."

"Take care, Mario!" the guard wove good-bye. When Mario exited the castle, he was caught up in a sudden rainstorm.

"What's this?" a guard outside said. "The Mushroom Guard's Almanac didn't call for rain!"

"I guess I should've asked for one of Peach's umbrellas..."

"No matter, rain or shine, I will keep watch here."

Mario started down the path when he thought he heard crying. "That big reptile stole my grandpa's coin! I know I shouldn't cry about it, but, but…" The source was a child who wasn't a Toad, but he looked like a cloud, or a giant cauliflower…

Mario tried calming him down. "Huh? Oh, gee… you're soaking wet, aren't you?" As soon as he said that, the rain stopped. "I'm alright now. Sorry… But why was I crying? There was some reason…"

Mario did a face palm while a Toad girl came behind them and said, "Mario! Is it true that the Princess was kidnapped again? Let's see how you'll take on Bowser!"

"Well, I don't like showing off, but…" Mario did a backflip and leapt high in the air. When he landed he rose his hands in the air to signify applause.

"Wow, great job! Bowser doesn't stand a chance!" The Toad girl went on her way. The strange child started going crazy. "Ooh, ooh, ooh!"

"What?" Mario asked him.

"You're Mario!"

"Yeah, that's my name. Don't wear it out…"

"No, you're THE Mario! I know all about you! You've got more jump in you than a barrel of frogs! I'm Mallow from Tadpole Pond. I'm a frog, but I can't jump. Embarrassing, huh?"

"Really? You're a frog? Well… you don't… look like a frog…"

"Anyways, my grandpa came and asked me to pick up some things here. When I walked in town, that croc stopped me! Oh yeah! He took it from me! He stole my coin! I tried chasing after him, but he was too fast for me! What do ya say, Mario? Will you help me catch that filthy thief?"

"Sure, I don't see why not."

"Great, let's go!" Mario started going out of the town, when a Toad came running to Mario.

"Mario! Mario! I saw him, I saw him!"

"Who? The thief?"

"Yeah, he zoomed by here a moment ago! He took my wallet! He's around here somewhere!"

"Was he a purple crocodile, wearing an orange top hat and carrying a massive sack?"

"Yeah, that's him!"

"He took my coin! Why didn't you stop him?"

The Toad stopped. "Because I left my bazooka at home! Sheesh, give me a break here!"

"Hey, come back here!"

A purple dinosaur with a sack and a top hat came running from a mob of Toads. "Har, har, har! Youse mugs'll never catch me! A snail could outrun you morons! Smell ya later!" The dino ran past Mario in a flash.

"That's him! He went down Bandit's Way! After him!" Mallow went running down the path while Mario ran ahead of him.


	5. Chapter 4: To Catch a Thief

"Come on, Mario! He went down this way!" Mallow ran down the pathway.

"This is crazy. I'm supposed to be saving the princess, not chasing down petty crooks! I mean what's the odds that…"

"Har, har, har, that was quite a killing I made. Those rubes couldn't catch me in sleep. After all, I'm Croco, master thief!"

Mario went behind a bush. "Okay, Mallow, we just got hide right here. He doesn't see us here, so we'd keep the element of…"

"Hey, you!" Mallow ran out to confront Croco, while Mario did a facepalm. "Gimme back my grandpa's coin!"

"Oh, it's only you." Croco said. "Geeze, you sure are persistent. Lucky for me, you couldn't jump to save your life, kid. So, I guess this is goodbye!" Croco jumped up a nearby ledge and ran away.

Mario came out of the bush as Mallow looked sullen. Mario grabbed Mallow's hand and picked him up on his shoulders. "Hang on tight, we're gonna get that coin back!" Mario jumped off a nearby flower and jumped to the ledge. Then, Mario jumped across another gap aided by moving platforms.

"Thanks, Mario. I never would've done it without you!"

"Save it for after we get your coin back." Mallow nodded. The two of them ran up to Croco who was rummaging through his sack.

Croco turned around and jumped when he saw Mallow and Mario. "Oh! You're a persistant little bugger, ain't ya? And what, did ya bring your babysitter with you?" Mario was about to protest whan Croco continued, "No matter, I'm still 100 mile ahead of ya!" He ran off again. Mario and Mallow ran after him when a gang of Goombas came running out of the bushes. "Freeze suckas!" Mallow ran around them, and Mario jumped on top of one and propelled himself forward.

"I don't like what you did to my pals." A big frog came and ambushed them.

"Careful Mario!" Mallow said. "It's not called Bandit's Way for nothing!"

"I noticed, Mallow."

"We can do this the easy way…" The Goombas from before surrounded them. "Or we can do this the hard way."

"Okay," Mario said, grabbing his hammer. "Let's do this the hard way." Mario kicked the frog in the face and swung his hammer on the top of his head. Mallow them kept the Goombas away by slapping them away.

"Aw, man! They're too strong! Regroup!" The frog and the Goombas ran away.

"That wasn't too tough!" Mallow said, excited. "We still need to catch up to that crook!"

"I'm pretty sure he's long gone…"

"Come on, platform! Turn faster! They're on my tail!" Croco was trying to hit an item box by standing on another pair of rotating platforms, he leapt, and missed the box entirely. He was about to try again when he saw Mallow and Mario. "Would you just give up already? That item box is tempting, but now's not the time…" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bunch of dogs on the other side of a fence. "Here!" He took a knife out of his bag and threw it at the gate. The dogs came pouring out. "Get the cauliflower and the guy with the stupid red hat!" They then went charging at the two while Croco escaped.

"What are we going to do Mario! They're coming right at us!"

Mario jumped to the platforms and waited for them to move under the item box. "Mario! Now's not the time to get treasure!"

"In my experiences, these boxes always have something useful!" He hit the box from the bottom and out popped a star. Mario jumped again and grabbed the star. Mario then started swirling with energy. "Try to keep up with me." Mallow nodded and Mario went charging through the pack. They bounced off him like a brick wall, while Mallow walked through the path made. By the time the star power ran out, Mario had defeated them all.

"That was amazing! With that kind of power, we'll get that coin back in no time! Mallow ran ahead in excitement. "End of the line, Croco!"

"Rrgh, it's a dead end! And they won't give up! I'll just have to hide." Croco ran off.

"Come on, he couldn't have gone that far!" After a few moments, Mallow caught up to him.

"Hah, your eyes are faster than your feet! At this rate, it'll take you 100 more years to catch me!" Croco ran off. Mallow got angry and started searching again. "Found me again, did you? Well, at this rate, it'll take you 50 more years to catch me!" Croco ran off and Mario grabbed his tail. "You again! This is getting real old! It'll still take you 25 more years…"

Mallow popped up behind Croco and yelled, "Enough! Now gimme back my coin!"

Croco, defeated, said, "All right, you caught me fair and square. I'll give you back your coin." He walked away and rummaged through his bag. He said under his breath, "Did you really believe me? I was… LYING!" He grabbed a bomb from his bag and threw it at Mallow. He flew backwards into a bush.

"Mallow! Are you okay?" Mario asked.

"Mommy, I think my train went swimming in the piano…" Mallow said dazed.

Croco laughed. "Looks like the kid is out. Which leaves you, red 'stache."

Mario grabbed his hammer. "This is your last chance. Give back the coin, and I won't have to hurt you."

"Har, har, har! You? Hurt me? Hah, you couldn't chase down a pumpkin! Now, you're saying you're a fighter too? Oh, that's rich!"

"I warned you!" Mario lept forward with his hammer, and only hit dirt. He then swung his hammer, wildly trying to hit Croco, but he was dodging every attack.

"Ha, you're slower than a hedgehog!" After every swing, Croco scratched him with his claws. "You'll have to be faster than that to even give me a splinter!"

Mario put down his hammer, and said, "I don't need to be!" He motioned to throw, and a huge ball of flame came flying at Croco. He ducked at the last second, and the fireball exploded behind him.

"Yeouch! Where'd that come from!" He realized that his tail was on fire and started running back and forth, desperately trying to douse the flame.

"How's that speed now?" Mario shot several more fireballs as Croco frantically tried to dodge them. There was just too much and Croco stopped to put out all his flames. As he did that, Mario grabbed his hammer and whacked Croco back. He bounced and fell on his back.

"Fine then! Take your grubby old coin! Adios amigos!" Croco ran off in a huff.

Mallow woke up. "Uggh, what did I miss!"

Mario explained, "I think I just got my fire power back."

Mallow lit up when he saw a brilliant green coin with a frog's likeness imprinted on it. "That's not all we got back! We got my grandpa's coin! Thanks a lot, Mario! I never could've got it without your help!"

Mario walked Mallow back down the path. "No problem, Mallow. Now, let's go back and get that thing that your grandpa wanted."


	6. Chapter 5: Mack and the Shysters

"How'd you even do that?" Mallow asked Mario as they walked back to the Mushroom Kingdom.

"It's no problem at all; you just have to focus your power-up energy, until the only place left for it to go is out." As Mario explained, he started holding a red flame. "For me, it happens to be fire power."

"Cool! Do you think I have some special ability?" Mallow asked hopefully.

"Well, you can make it rain. That's kinda cool!"

"Yeah, but I meant, a useful ability! Maybe I could read people's minds! Or, I could make a hurricanes and twisters! Or, I could make stars rain down from the…"

"Let's not get too carried away." Mario asked as they approached town.

"Okay, then just run that errand, and go back to my grandpa's place. You should meet him! He knows EVERYTHING!"

"Well, I guess I could do that. Maybe I'll ask him where the Princess is. Then, all I've got to do is find her, beat Bowser again, and it's back to home sweet…" Mario stopped abrubtly.

Mallow stopped too. They were at the Mushroom Kingdom, but something wasn't right. "Woah, it looks like a twister already came through here!" Mario ran ahead into the town. "Mario! Wait up!" Inside, the town was devastated. Running all around the town were panicked Toads, and they were being chased by Shy Guys, except these were bouncing up and down on top of strange sword-looking pogo sticks. The Shy Guys were causing trouble everywhere.

"Come play! Come play!" One said.

"Go away! Leave me alone!" An Toad yelled as he ran away.

"Friends! BFF's!"

"I don't even know you! Help!"

"Please! Take my wallet! My house! My wife!" Another unlucky Toad cried.

"We already did!"Mallow caught up. "Woah, what's going on here? Looks like a dump here."

Mario tried to silence him. "Shhh, don't make any sudden movements. If we sneak by them, we can get to the castle."

"But why do you want to get to the castle so badly?" Mallow still talked in the same tone.

"There's way too many of them." Mario still whispered. "We'll have an easier time if they aren't all coming for us at once."

"What are you talking about! You took out all those dog-things back at the pass. I'd bet you could take them with your bare hands! No, with only one hand! No, you could beat them all with both hands tied behind your back…"

"Look, everybody!" A Shy Guy shouted. "A marshmallow, and a sausage!"

"Yeah, that'll be awesome! You'll just be like 'It's a-me! Mario!' and they'll be like, 'Oh please, don't hurt us!' and you'll be like…"

"Just be quiet! If you don't stop, I'll be deaf, so just…" With a heavy crunch noise, Mario stepped on his foot. Mallow was on the verge of tears. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see it there! It was an accident I swear!"

"How could you not see them?" Mallow cried. "I wear hot pink shoes! I don't think I'll be able to walk like this!"

"Just calm down, I'm sure you'll be…"

"I'm a cripple!" A thunder clap sounded, and a heavy downpour came upon the town. The Shy Guys' contraptions started rusting, and they fell over like dominos.

"Oh no! It's raining!"

"Please don't hurt us, Mr. Raincloud!"

"Quick, inside the castle!"

"Yeah, Mack'll give us new toys!"

All the Shy guys ran indoors. The Toads that were being terrorized then started mobbing Mario, shouting praises!"

"You saved us, Mario!"

"You knew it'd rain if he cried! So ingenious!"

"The kingdom is safe with you around!"

"Sign my sweater-vest!"

"Have my kids!"

"Oh, it's okay. It was no problem! Yes, I'm a natural. Signing babies in pen probably isn't good for them! It's a been a real…" Mallow was pouting right next to the croud. "All right, um, we've got to go now. A hero's work is never done!"

"The castle is still taken!"

"Help the chancellor and the Princess!"

"Right." Mario said under his breath. "Because the Princess is definitely in the castle and not stars know where." Mario jumped up and said, "Wait here. I'll save the Princess." He walked up to Mallow and said. "All right, come on Mallow! We've got a job to do!"

Mallow stared at him with contempt and said, "Oh, no. You've got this Mario. I don't need to help. I'll just sit tight right here."

Mario said quieter, "I don't have time for this. Come on!" He grabbed Mallow by the arm and dragged him to the front gates of the castle. He grabbed his hammer, and pounded in the castle doors. "Luckily, the castle isn't known for its defenses."

Upon walking in, the door shut tightly. There was no one to be found. "Well, should we start looking around?" Mallow kept ignoring him.

"Psst." A Toad was peeking in from a corridor, and beckoning Mario to follow him. "Over here!" Mario started going while Mallow pouted behind him. "Thank goodness you're here Mario! All the people who couldn't escape the castle in time are in Princess Toadstool's room. There are two guards outside the door, and I'm too scared to pass by them!"

"No problem, I'll…" Mallow shot him a mean-looking glance. Mario sighed. "We'll take care of them." Mario ran up to the door when two Shy Guys on the contraptions from earlier shouted, "Not so fast, pal! Who do you think you are? Don't you know who we are?"

"We're the Shysters!" The other one said. "We're the best bouncers around!"

"If bouncing were an Olympic sport, we'd win all the medals!"

"Look at him! He can't even bounce! Maybe we should bounce on your head!" The Shy Guys bounced up, and they came short. Mario jumped up and landed on their own heads.

"Bounce on your head? That's a great idea!" Mario beckoned to Toad and Mallow.

"Saved by Mario again! How can I ever thank you enough?" Toad snatched the keys to the bedroom, and unlocked the door. "Hey, everyone! Mario's here!" The Toads started running to the door and embracing Mario and the lone Toad.

"You're in one piece!"

"Yeah, thanks to Mario!"

"Mario? How can we ever thank you?"

"Is everyone all right?"

"Well, not everyone. The chancellor is still in the throne room! And their boss is in there too!"

"Oh, no! That's terrible! But… with Mario… we're safe… right?" Mario nodded. "There we go! Oh, before you go, take this." The Toad went through the closet and took out a small box. "It helps with your power-up powers. Princess Toadstool would be glad that you have something of hers."

"Thank you. You'd all better stay here. There are still some guards out there."

"Good luck, Mario! And your cauliflower friend, too!"

Mario ran back to the main corridor, and then ran at full speed to the throne room door. He jumped up and kicked the doors open. Slouching on the throne was someone Mario didn't recognize. He was wearing a facemask and beside him was an even bigger version of the devices the Shy Guys were using. It looked more like a huge knife than a sword. Of course, no one noticed Mario big entrance. "Where do ya think everyone went?" One of them said.

"Who cares? We can bounce all the day long! And there's no one here to ruin our day!"

"Well gang," The guy on the throne said, "looks like we've found a new home!"

"Yahoo!" The rest said. "Let's bounce the night away!"

Mario walked up to the throne, and they finally noticed him. "Not so fast, pal!"

"Who do you think you are? Don't you know who we are?"

"We're the Shysters! We're the best bouncers around!"

"If bouncing were an Olympic sport, we'd win all the medals!"

"Look at him! He can't even bounce! Maybe we should bounce…" Mario interrupted the last one by hitting him through the window with his hammer.

"I've heard this already. Just leave this place if you don't want to get hurt."

"No way!" The figure stood up. "You're a bully. We don't like bullies." The boss got on his own device and yelled, "Listen up gang! This jerk is going to put a stop to OUR party! Are we happy about this?"

"You're asking for it!"

"You're gonna get it!"

"How about a fat lip to go with that ugly mustache?"

"You picked the wrong people to not bounce with, bub!"

"All right gang, attack!"

They all tried jumping on Mario at the same time, but they landed on nothing. Once again, Mario landed on their heads. "The others tried that too!" He exclaimed.

"You meanie! You're gonna pay for doing that to my friends!" The boss jumped to where Mario was, but he dodged at the last second. "That hammer won't reach me while I'm bouncing!" He bounced several more times, but Mario kept running. "And I can bounce higher than you! What do you say to that?"

Mario then stopped, and said. "Then, let's turn up the heat!" He threw several fireballs at the boss. It torched everything around it, but barely scratched the boss.

"You call that fire? Ha! My grandma could make better fireballs than you!" To prove his point, he conjured a massive wall of fire between Mario and himself. "Get up, everyone!" The Shy Guys got back on their devices. "Let's teach this jerk a lesson!" Mario started running again, throwing fireballs to slow them down. As he was doing that, Mallow walked in the door.

"There you are, Mallow! I could use some help!" Mallow crossed his arms. "There's a lot of them, and they all resist my fire power! Come on, help me out!" Mallow sat down. "Mallow, please, just do something! Anything!"

Mallow stood up. "You know, ever since we got here, you've been treating me like a sidekick, and like a little kid. Well, I'm tired of it, so just buzz off!" As Mallow yelled those words, a blast of lightning came down and hit the Shysters.

"Ack! I can't move!" Mario took this time to jump on top of the boss, and after he bounced off his head, he brought down his hammer onto its head. The boss steamed and exploded. Mallow was amazed by that. "Did I do that lightning bolt?"

Mario patted him on the back. "You sure did. Thanks." Mallow pouted again as if he remembered to be upset with him.

"Oh no! They beat Mack!" the other Shysters said.

"Run away! Run away!"

"The mustachioed one is strong! Really strong!"

"We have to tell the boss!"

"Come on, let's get 'em!" Mallow said.

"No, they won't do much trouble now that their leader is gone. But what's this?" Mario noticed a brilliant blue star-shaped object. It seemed to radiate a strong energy. "My plot-sensitive item senses are tingling." When Mario got close to it, the star spun around him and then Mario grabbed it and raised it above his head.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know, I always do this when I get something important on my travels." Mario said. He then noticed a Toad hiding behind the pillars. "Look, it's the chancellor!"

"Mario? Is that really you? I knew you'd come to our rescue again. But who were they? They said that their name was Mack, and he expressed some kind of boredom from guarding that star. Hmm…"

The Toads that were holed up in Peach's bedroom ran into the throne room, and shouted, "Chancellor! Thank goodness you're alright!"

The chancellor nodded. "These past events were much too taxing on my heart. First the Princess, and now this! It's just too much to bear!"

Mallow spoke up. "Maybe I could ask my grandpa for help. He knows everything!"

"I'm sorry, little cauliflower, but who are you?"

"My name's Mallow. I'm from Tadpole Pond."

"Oh, very well. Any friend of Mario's is welcome here." He turned back to Mario. "As I was saying, Mario, you are our only hope. You simply must rescue the princess, now! I just can't take it anymore…"

"But, no pressure." Mallow added.

"Right, so let's go, partner." Mallow crossed his arms. "We can get you that thing that you were going to get him on the way out." Mallow jumped up and ran off with him.


End file.
